PPMM Education Program Manager Monica M. oversees the smooth operation of the affiliate’s virtual delivery of sex education, a new service that has become increasingly essential since school-site closures during the COVID pandemic. But her path to PPMM began years ago when she was a peer educator on her college campus at California State University, Fresno.
Monica saw peer education as a way to “open the door” for young people who need this vital information and an important way to help her own community, including those for whom English is not their first language.
When she conducted a series of after-school sex ed sessions for middle school students, she got an important lesson about effective communication that still guides the work she does today.
“Once we got talking, they shared so much about their thoughts and experiences and asked so many good questions,” she said. “Getting this information across in the most useful, helpful way means talking with youth, not talking at them."
“We don’t go in and tell young people how to behave. We do a lot of listening and asking questions to show them how they can make the best decision for themselves, based on their own values. There’s a big difference.”
When Monica came onboard with PPMM as a health educator, she implemented a sex ed program at juvenile hall detention facilities. She also conducted sessions to share information with Latinas who lived in immigrant farming communities.
Since PPMM Education rapidly adapted to the pandemic-reality during the past school year and began providing virtual classes for more than 14,000 students and community members, Monica has become adept at trouble-shooting to provide the best possible onscreen experience for health educators and students. The user-friendly blend of live virtual sessions includes educators leading some lessons, students completing some lessons independently, and school-partner teachers leading debrief discussions.
“It starts with the basics, like realizing that not every school district or community organization we’re working with has an IT department, so what might they need in terms of Zoom licenses or access to Google Meets?” Monica said. “I’m also very conscious of our audience for different kinds of lessons, including what their access is to the platform in terms of WiFi and other technology. Even subtle things like tailoring how much information is printed on each slide can make a big difference, depending on the audience.”
The silver lining to teaching sex ed classes onscreen is that many students are more comfortable participating in discussions. Also, PPMM educators are now presenting their unique programming in remote communities where it would have been difficult to show up regularly, in person.
“Some students find it a lot easier to take part in a discussion when their cameras are turned off or if they can ask a question privately via our Anonymous Questions form, rather than having to ask in front of the whole class,” Monica said.
The lessons also include competency checks online to monitor the progress that students are making. “Teachers I hear from are really thankful for the expertise we are providing and offering so many options—including lessons entirely in Spanish and a new version for special education classrooms,” Monica said. “For me, this experience has been revitalizing.
“I can be a bridge, bringing crucial information that can be difficult to talk about, in the most effective way. Now, I can also be a resource in my community during this really challenging time. It’s why I love what I do.”
Tags: social_distancing, sex-ed, trouble_shooting